And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Acts 4:29
After Peter and John were arrested for preaching and healing in the name of Jesus and ordered never to speak or teach in the name of Jesus, they returned to the other followers of Christ and told them what had happened and the command they had been given. They could have cowered in fear. They could have walked away from Jesus. They could have decided that following Jesus had too much of a cost. Instead they did something different. They prayed.
The prayer of the believers after Peter and John’s report is in Acts 4. Step into their shoes for a moment. What would you have prayed for? I would have prayed for protection. I would have prayed for God to have the religious leaders leave them alone. That is not what the believers prayed for. They prayed for courage. They acknowledged the threat of the religious leaders trying to stop the spread of Jesus’ name. Then, they said, “And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word” (verse 29). They wanted God to give them the boldness and courage to keep preaching in the name of Jesus and spreading His message. What incredible resolve and dedication they demonstrated!
We would do well to follow this example from these believers in the early church. Let’s commit to letting this request for courage and boldness be our prayer, too. After all, when we have courage and boldness, we are emboldened to obey God regardless of the cost. May God fill each one of us with His courage and boldness today.
Take a few moments to model this example and ask God to give you the boldness to obey Him regardless of the cost. Then, if a particular situation comes to mind where you need courage and boldness, ask Him specifically to give you the boldness and courage you need in that situation. This, my friends, is a prayer that He will honor and answer by giving us that courage and boldness we have asked for.
"As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— 25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,
‘Why were the nations so angry?
Why did they waste their time with futile plans?
26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle;
the rulers gathered together
against the Lord
and against his Messiah.’
27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
